Our congregation council is the governing body of St. Luke Lutheran Church between congregational meetings.

It is comprised of members dedicated to the ministry and mission of our congregation.

The Congregation Council functions to oversee the life and activities of St. Luke Lutheran Church and to ensure that these reflect the purpose and faith of this church. The council consists of the three elected officers of the congregation (President, Vice-President and Treasurer), six counselors who serve as liaisons to the Purpose and Support Teams, a Council Secretary, and the Pastor.

Congregation Council Members' Responsibilities: Attend monthly Council Meetings, special Council meetings, regular and special meetings of the congregation. Care for and pray for the work of Christ in the Congregation, the community, and the whole world. Help assure the coordination of all the programs and ministries of St. Luke Lutheran Church. Participate in the development and management of long-range planning and the annual budget adopted by the Congregation.

Marty Wood

Congregation President

Marty and his wife Pat have been members of St. Luke since 1972. During this time, he has served in numerous leadership positions, such as Property and Grounds chair; building committee chair for sanctuary renovations, Miles Hall/ Narthex renovation; Co-chair of Education Wing, Communion Deacon and usher.

Marty was raised on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania, attended and taught Sunday School in his home church and has eight living brothers and a sister. He is a retired naval officer having served 21 years in the submarine force and a semi-retired university professor in his 33 year at UConn. His degrees are in Mechanical Engineering.

Marty and Pat have been married since 1967 and traveled quite a bit while in the service. Their three children were all born in different states and confirmed at St. Luke. They have five granddaughters and one grandson all living on the east coast.

Marty enjoys gardening, woodworking and clock repair.

Dyann Baker

Vice President and Liaison to People Support Team

Dyann Baker has been a member of St. Luke for over 30 years and has been a Connecticut resident for most of her life.

She earned her MBA in 2012 and BS in Accounting in 1994 both from University of New Haven and earned her CPA license in 1999. Currently she is Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration for Mitchell College in New London, CT. Prior to that she was a Senior Accountant for Garvey, Steele & Company LLP in Mystic Connecticut and a Financial Analyst with General Dynamics, Data Systems Division. In the past, Dyann has served on the St. Luke council in the role of Treasurer and Secretary.

Dyann lives in Gales Ferry with her spouse, Grace. Dyann and Grace have three sons, Michael, Mike and John and two Jack Russell Terriers who keep them very busy.

Leah Lozier

Treasurer and liaison to finance support team

Leah Lozier grew up at St Luke. She was confirmed here and in 1992 was blessed to be married in her church home. After moving away for a while, Leah returned to town and the St Luke community with her family: husband Marc, son Logan and dog Aldo. She previously served as Councilor and Worship Team Liason.

She holds a BS in Accounting and works for Pequot Health Care in Mashantucket. She also owns her own business as an Independent Mary Kay Beauty consultant.

Leah enjoys time with family and friends loves camping, reading, rollerblading, traveling, beading, playing bells and the beach.

Ken Chambers

cOUNCILOR AND lIAiSON to worship team

Ken is a lifelong resident of Southeastern Connecticut. He was born and raised in Groton and now resides in Gales Ferry. He and his wife, Ruth, have been members of St. Luke since 2005.

Ken has a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Connecticut, an MBA from the University of Rhode Island, and holds a PMP certification. He is employed at Pfizer, where he is Director of Portfolio and Project Planning for the Global Established Products Business Unit.

Since becoming a member, Ken has been involved in a range of church activities including teaching Sunday School, serving at the New London Meal Center, and Small Group Ministries.

Pat Wood

Councilor and Liaison to FACILITIES sUPPORT tEAM

The ELCA Lutheran Church has been a large part of Pat’s life since childhood where she and her five siblings attended church in Binghamton NY. Back in the "old days", Sunday was a "gathering day" with evening dinner crowds including four generations.

She attended Farmingdale Community College, receiving a degree in Engineering Secretary. Pat worked briefly for Underwriters' Laboratories before marrying her husband, Marty. The Woods then spent years traveling with Marty's Navy career, having three children, Brian, Matt and Karen, all born in different states. Pat has held positions with Stone and Webster, Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine and founded a cleaning/janitorial service with 15+ employees and many varied contracts.

She has always kept busy with incidental programs like starting a babysitting coop in Hawaii, the CT Women's Investment Club (CWIP), the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace class, joining puppeteers to help children understand Navy deployments and being on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange while attending a class for teachers.

Pat and Marty have six grandchildren and extended family around the world. Pat came to St. Luke in 1972, considers it her home church and views serving the St. Luke as a blessing.

Katie Launer-Felty

Councilor and liaison to ministry team

Katie is from Southeastern Connecticut and originally communed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ashaway, R.I., before joining St. Luke in the winter of 2015 with her husband, John Felty, and their daughter Camille. Since then, they welcomed their son, Harlan, who was baptized at St. Luke in 2015.

Katie is a scientist of many trades and loves to learn. Her most recent degree is a PhD from the University of Connecticut in Structural Biology and Biophysics, which she obtained in 2014. Before this, she was an analytical chemist at Pfizer. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University, where she enjoys mentoring students as well as pursuing her research. Katie also helped found a career development group for other postdoctoral fellows at Yale.

In addition to her professional work, spending time with her family, and running an occasional road race, Katie is committed to serving her community. She is a former Sunday School teacher and Girl Scout leader. She is excited and honored to serve as a councilor at St. Luke.

Cindy Mason-Jones

Councilor and Liaison to lifelong learning

Cindy has been attending St. Luke for the past 10 years. She has been involved as a Confirmation Leader, in Small Group Ministries, as a Soup Kitchen Server, leader of the Social Ministry Team, and Secretary for the Council. She is a leader in the new Mental Health Ministry, which started in Fall 2016. Cindy grew up in the First Baptist Church of Southington and was active in the Mystic Congregational Church before coming home to St. Luke.

Cindy is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and works as a Treatment Co-ordinator/ Psychotherapist at Southeastern Mental Health Authority in Norwich. She earned her BA at Wheaton College (MA), and earned her MSW from UCONN. Cindy volunteers as the Chair of the Ledyard Social Services Board.

Cindy is married to Chris Jones and has two adult daughters, Tori, 22, and Liv, 20. The family lives in Gales Ferry. Cindy enjoys genealogy, Red Soxs, Patriots, and chocolate!

Pat Robbins

Councilor and Liaison to fellowship team

Pat Robbins has been a member of St. Luke since 1974, except for 4-5 years when she was out of the area for college. She married her husband John in 1982. They have 3 sons, Jeffrey, Aaron and Nathan who were raised and confirmed at St. Luke. Over the years, she has served in many capacities at St. Luke including Sunday School teacher, confirmation group leader, altar guild, Pastoral call committee, staff support, area shepherd, and Link for Camp Calumet in New Hampshire. Her family continues to vacation at Calumet annually.

After college, Pat managed a retail fabrics store. While her children were small, Pat ran a tailoring and alterations shop. She returned to school in 2000 to complete a Masters in Elementary Education degree. She is currently teaching 2nd grade in her home town of Norwich. Her hobbies include gardening, cooking, knitting and walking her dog, Della.